


Daydream Believer

by guessimdemoms



Series: Strange Magic [4]
Category: Arrested Development
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Gen, Songfic, bluth family bonding, what is this 2008
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:01:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26964859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/guessimdemoms/pseuds/guessimdemoms
Summary: It turns out, all you need to soothe a colic-y baby is your family and an old Monkee's song
Relationships: George Oscar "Gob" Bluth/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Strange Magic [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1982122
Kudos: 1





	Daydream Believer

**Author's Note:**

> Another fic in my fix-it universe, and this time a songfic! Because I live in 2008.

Colic was no joke.

It seemed like all Renee did ever since coming home from the hospital was cry all day and all night. At first, Gob chalked it up to the fact that she was premature and maybe all preemie babies were colic until one particularly tough night when Buster informed him that just because she was born early doesn’t mean she would automatically have colic. 

Gob really wished he wasn’t trying to live a straight and narrow life because he wanted to clobber his brother. 

Still, it was frustrating for the couple to have Renee up all hours of the evening and then all day as well. They started making up a schedule based on their work hours of when the other would stay up with the baby, and the family pitched in when they could to give the two some time to sleep. Gob was getting worried that Renee was truly sick but Meredith reassured him that two of her youngest siblings, that she raised, had colic and they ended up perfectly normal. 

Well as normal as children born in a cult could be. 

It was another sleepless evening for Gob as he gently rocked a wailing Renee in the middle of the living room. Meredith had her all day while Gob was off begging Jesse to let him have his magic show in his club and by the time he got home, Meredith was close to tears herself. Gob had gently taken his daughter, kissed his fiance, and told her to go upstairs and get some sleep and he’d cared for the baby. That had been four hours ago and nothing, a warm bottle, rocking, one of those stupid educational songs Tobias suggested, had gotten Renee to sleep. Thankfully help was coming; Michael was heading home from work and offered to take Renee to let Gob get some sleep, but he seemed to be taking his sweet time with it. Gob briefly wondered if George Michael was ever colic-y and resigned himself to ask his younger brother when he got home, if he ever got home. 

“Just gotta make it twenty more minutes.” Gob muttered, strapping Renee to a bouncer chair sitting on the couch before making his way into the kitchen to pour himself some stale coffee. He loved his daughter more than he ever thought he could love someone (second only to Meredith) but this colic business was awful. He almost wished they didn’t fake their death back in Orange County or he could call his mother and find out if he had colic when he was a newborn and this was God’s way of getting revenge on him for his mother.

“Then again mom was probably too drunk to even notice.” Gob muttered stirring the coffee before raising the mug to his lips. Before he could take a drink, his ears perked to the sound of Renee’s cries softening and two voices singing in the living room. He recognized that song, he thought, as he slowly made his way back; it sounded like a song that his sister would blast from her room when she was a teenager and dance around with posters of her ‘future husband’ while declaring herself Mrs. Lindsey Jones. Gob made it back into the living room to discover his niece and nephew, standing over his daughter, both singing (in poor harmony) said familiar song. 

Oh, I could hide 'neath the wings  
Of the bluebird as she sings  
The six o'clock alarm would never ring  
But six rings and I rise  
Wipe the sleep out of my eyes  
My shaving razor's cold and it stings

“You guys know The Monkees?” Gob asked, alerting George Michael and Maeby to his presence. 

“Oh no, it was just on the oldies station on the bus from school.” George Michael explained nervously. 

“God when did they become the oldies?” Gob muttered, sitting on the sofa. 

“They broke up in ‘71.” Maeby pointed out. 

“Fair enough.” Gob shrugged before finally taking a sip of his coffee. “Well continue, she seems to like it.” At that, the cousins shuffled nervously making Gob raise an eyebrow. 

“That’s the only lyric we know.” George Michael explained. “The bus driver shut it off after Maeby punched him in the arm.” 

“I was playing punch buggy!” Maeby defended rolling her eyes. Gob groaned and placed his mug on the side table before standing up and walking over to his daughter, who was beginning to wail again. 

“Here let me.” Gob muttered unstrapping Renee and cradling her, gently rocking her back and forth before going into the chorus. 

Cheer up, sleepy Jean  
Oh, what can it mean to a  
Daydream believer and a  
Homecoming queen?

“Old school tonight, huh?” Gob froze and turned around to face his younger brother, smiling at him in the dining room. He was so busy chatting and singing to Renee he didn’t even notice the head of the family come in. 

“Kids heard it on the radio, they didn’t even know who sang it.” Gob explained as Michael made his way over and took Renee from his brother. Renee was still whimpering a little and fussed as Michael started breaking into the next part of the song. 

You once thought of me  
As a white knight on his steed  
Now you know how happy I can be  
Oh, our good time starts and ends  
Without dollar one spend  
But how much, baby, do we really need?

“You know the words?” Gob asked, amazed. 

“Well I heard Lindsey singing it enough.” Michael said with a chuckle. 

“Your poor ears.” Maeby muttered. At that moment, Tobias pushed the eldest Bluth boys aside and took Renee from Michael, holding her up in a Lion King-esque pose before launching, obnoxiously, into the chorus. 

Cheer up, sleepy Jean

Renee began to wail at the uncomfortable placement, prompting Michael and Gob to rush over to their brother-in-law. 

Oh, what can it mean to a

“Tobias, support her head!” Gob yelled trying to grab his daughter away. 

Daydream believer and a

“She doesn’t like being held like that!” Michael argued. 

Homecoming queen?

“C’mon guys, he used to hold Maeby and she turned out okay!” George Michael pointed out, distressed at watching his family struggle. 

“Did I?” Maeby asked. Before her cousin could answer, Lindsey popped in-between the three men, taking Renee from her husband, holding her right and instantly calming her down.

Cheer up, sleepy Jean  
Oh, what can it mean to a

Lindsey quickly slipped a gigantic bow headband on her niece, who was calming down at her singing, which took up nearly half her head. Gob rolled his eyes, it wasn’t the first time his sister put one of those on Renee, but Michael elbowed him in the stomach before he could say anything. 

Daydream believer and a  
Homecoming queen?

“Oh I see.” A soft voice called in the doorway. The Bluth-Funke’s turned to see Buster standing in the doorway pouting and fingering his fake hand nervously. 

“Everyone else can sing to baby niece but ol’ monster can’t.” Buster mumbled. Gob gently took his daughter from Lindsey, subtly snatched the bow headband off her head before placing her in the crook of Buster’s good arm. Renee made settling noises before finally drifting off to sleep, and Buster gleamed with joy. 

“Baby niece likes me!” Buster squealed, jiggling Renee a little. 

Cheer up, sleepy Jean  
Oh, what can it mean to a  
Daydream believer and a  
Homecoming queen?

At that point, Gob walked over and slung an arm around his younger brother’s shoulders and squeezed them tight, gazing down at his sleeping daughter in his arms. The little girl who depended on him so much, who wasn’t a full-blooded Bluth, who had a chance, she had a chance to escape the mess and craziness of Bluth genetics. And as the rest of the family gathered around, singing a refrain of the chorus, the hope remained. 

Cheer up, sleepy Jean  
Oh, what can it mean to a  
Daydream believer and a  
Homecoming queen?

Renee was going to make it out. She didn’t have the poison in her veins, she had a chance to be different. 

The abuse ended with her.


End file.
